Predacon

The Predacons are usually depicted as antagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers storyline and related comics and cartoons. Usually, they have a relation to the Decepticons, the more prominent antagonists of the series, be they a subgroup, their successors, or even their creators. They are the enemies of the Maximals and even sometimes their predecessors, the Autobots, depending on the continuity.[1][2][3] The villains take many forms, and have many different origins and stories across the numerous different Transformers media, but in almost all incarnations, they are led by a character who is either Megatron (the original or an entirely separate character who took his name), or Predaking, an ancient Predacon leader. They are typically represented by the facial insignia they all wear. In the Japanese version of the franchise, the Predacons are called Destrons or Animatrons (Japanese: デストロンDesutoron). The one exception to this naming convention is Car Robots, where the overall name of the Robots in Disguise villain faction is Destronger.

In the original series, the Predacons (the Animatrons in Japan) are a team of five fearsome Decepticonhunters, able to transform into wild beasts and combine their bodies and minds into the giant robot, Predaking.[4][5]

The original team includes:

Razorclaw - The leader of the Predacons. He transforms into a lion. Razorclaw forms the head, massive torso & thighs of Predaking. Razorclaw despises the unnecessary expenditure of energy and resources. He is preternaturally patient, always waiting for the best moment to strike. Voiced by Joe Leahy.

Divebomb - He transforms into an eagle. Divebomb forms the left arm of Predaking and his wings also become Predaking's wings. He is a loner by nature. Divebomb only combines with his teammates when he has no other option. On his own, he amuses himself by destroying objects from the air for the sheer joy of it. Voiced by Laurie Faso.

Headstrong - He transforms into an Indian rhinoceros. Headstrong forms the right lower leg of Predaking. He is unbelievably stubborn and does not take advice from anyone. However, Headstrong is probably the weakest of the team and extremely insecure about it. Voiced by Ron Feinberg.

Rampage - He transforms into a tiger. Rampage forms the right arm of Predaking. He is a little more than a raging psychopath, in a constant state of anger that leaves even the other Predacons afraid of him. Thankfully, there is one way of keeping Rampage under control for he is easily distracted by mindless television entertainment. Voiced by Laurie Faso.

Tantrum - He transforms into a bull. Tantrum forms the left lower leg of Predaking. Tantrum is the fueler of the Predacons, always using brute force to see things through, even when it is not called for. In reality, he has severe anger problems and releases his anger by destroying anything unlucky enough to get in his way. Voiced by Philip L. Clarke.

Released in 1986, the Predacons became a popular seller, and came in two variants - entirely plastic, and with die-cast metal parts, the latter version being the most sought after. Unlike the other combiners released that year, Predaking was substantially larger and did not follow the same basic so-called "Scramble City" design which allowed his component limbs to be swapped freely; each arm and leg could be interchanged with each other, but an arm could not form a leg, and vice versa. Illustrating this point are the various depictions of Predaking's limb arrangement - his instructions and toy box art depict Divebomb as the left arm, Rampage the right arm, Headstrong the left leg and Tantrum the right, while his cartoon and comic book appearances perform a straight swap of this.[6]

Although most of the combiners are little more than lumbering brutes who use sheer force to obliterate their enemies, Predaking is different. Where some of the other combiners have trouble thinking due to the mismatched minds of their components, all the Predacons are focused on the thrill of the hunt. Because of this, Predaking moves with increased speed and grace rare for a being his size, merely reacting to threats rather than actually thinking about it, no matter how small. He seems to act almost on pure instinct, which often manifests as sheer overpowering brutality. As a warrior, he has no equal. As a weapon, there is no defense against him. However, despite this, he suffers many defeats in the animated series (often called on to defeat very large and powerful enemies) as well as in the Marvel comics.

As seen later in the Beast Wars toyline and animated series, the Predacons are descendants of the Decepticons with new smaller, more energy-efficient bodies. Though the Decepticons and Predacons share many similarities, several important differences exist, such as leadership and ideals: for example, choosing a pretense of peace with the Maximals rather than maintain a war at all costs. It is not completely known as to how the faction gained predominance over all the other various Decepticon factions, although the comic book miniseries Beast Wars: The Gathering has provided hints that their heritage may be found in the original combiner team Predacons, hints confirmed by the subsequent Timelines: Dawn of Futures Past, which confirmed that Razorclaw, Divebomb and the other Predacons had been working behind the scenes.

Animated Series

Like the untamed forces of nature, the Predacons are ferocious animal robots who lash out with fury. Swift, savage and always relying on animal instinct, the Predacons explode into action. There's Divebomb, the eagle who can spot a target from a mile up in the sky, Rampage, the tiger who can leap 500 feet, Headstrong, the rhino whose horn can puncture 8 feet of solid rock, Tantrum, the buffalo who loves to use brute force, and there's the Predacon commander, Razorclaw, whose claws can rip through steel. Together, they combine into a hair-trigger horror, the giant robot Predaking. As a warrior, Predaking has no equal. As a weapon, he has no known weaknesses. He can lift 500 tons without even straining a circuit. With the help of the Predacons, no planet is too wild or untamed for the Decepticons to conquer. The Autobots are forced to find new defenses against the mechanical menace, Predaking.

In the first episode of the five-part episode series "Five Faces of Darkness", Tantrum, being the only Predacon seen in the episode, makes his first appearance, as a cameo.

The five Predacons together made their debut in the fifth part of "Five Faces of Darkness", as the Decepticon/Quintesson alliance began its attack on the Autobots on both Earth and Cybertron. The Autobots Blurr and Wheelie and the human Marissa Faireborn are stranded on Io, one of Jupiter's moons while attempting to deliver the transformation cog that would allow the Autobot battle station, Metroplex, to fight and transform as needed. Communications officer Blaster attempts to contact Cybertron for reinforcements, revealing his allies' plight. The transmission is intercepted by the Quintessons, however, and upon learning the location of the cog, they dispatch the Predacons to Io to ensure it will not reach Earth. After an initially poor showing in their individual robot and animal modes, the team merges to form Predaking. They are confronted by the massive Autobot Sky Lynx and bested, leading to an enmity between the two.

The Predacons are in their element for their first mission in 2006, operating in the wilds of the planet Dredd, where they again battle Sky Lynx and several other Autobots. They are defeated when they are buried in an avalanche created by the planet's native Chaos monster. Later, they participate in the invasion of Paradron, with Divebomb pursuing escapee Sandstorm and Razorclaw co-ordinating the shooting down of the Autobot reinforcement vessel he returns with.

Later the Quintessons strike at the Transformers by animating the dreams of Daniel Witwicky. Having penetrated Cybertron's defenses for an unspecified mission, the Predacons attack Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and Springer. Soon the whole group are attacked by monsters conjured from Daniel's subconscious. All on scene are forced to work together to survive. Razorclaw and Springer are captured by a dragon and are forced to team up to defeat the creature and escape, while the others face the threat of a giant Galvatron who injures Headstrong. With Daniel rescued, the damage sustained by Headstrong prevents the team from combining into Predaking, forcing them to flee.

While en route to Chaar at a later date, Predaking intercepts an unusual Quintesson signal and tracks it to a jungle planet, where the team comes upon a group of Autobots who have done the same and discovered an electronic journal recording Quintesson military transactions. The team merges into Predaking, who immediately targets Sky Lynx among the group, seeking revenge for his past defeats; Sky Lynx outmaneuvers the Decepticon, but, rather than best him in combat, has to get his fellow Autobots to safety. When the Decepticons then acquire the journal, Predaking is reluctant to retreat until having finished off Sky Lynx, but stands down in the face of Galvatron's wrath.

When the ancient genius Primacron unleashes his energy-absorbing creation, Tornedron, on the universe, Primacron's assistant seeks to foil his former mentor by amassing a team of "Primitives" - Transformers with animal instincts that can hopefully thwart Primacron's complexities. The Predacons are among the Transformers summoned from a battle on Earth's moon to a dead world at the center of the universe, where Tornedron confronts them. Refusing to run from him, the Predacons form Predaking and battle Tornedron, who takes the shape of a giant warrior, absorbing all energy Predaking throws at them until he has been drained of life. Of all the Primitives, only Grimlock survives, and is subsequently able to stop Tornedron and Primacron, restoring the Predacons and the others to life.

After participating in the Decepticon attack on Japan, the Predacons are among the Transformers infected when the madness-inducing Hate Plague sweeps the universe. The animosity bred by the plague does not prevent the Predacons from combining into Predaking and pursuing the uncontaminated Galvatron along with Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps, however, only to be forced to retreat by a squad of uninfected Autobots led by Optimus Prime. When Prime subsequently releases the power of the Matrix, the plague is cured.

The Predacons continued to put in short appearances in 1987's Japanese-exclusive spinoff series, Transformers: Headmasters, usually fighting alongside and against the other combiner teams in various battles. In 1990's Transformers: Zone, Predaking was one of the nine Decepticon generals in the service of the mysterious insectoid Violenjiger, and met his end when Autobot leader Dai Atlas cleaved his body in two (somewhat bizarrely revealing what appeared to be an organic brain within him).[7] In Beast Wars II, the Predacons were led by Galvatron. As this show is not exactly canon with the first Beast Wars show, it is unclear whether Galvatron was a renegade like Megatron, or whether he was operating with the Council's tacit approval, but Galvatron also recruited his own army of followers, including his "brother" Megastorm. Unlike Megatron, Galvatron waged open warfare on the Maximals, clashing with Maximal commander Lio Convoy.

In Beast Wars Neo, the Predacons were led by Magmatron after Galvatron's death. Again it is unclear whether Magmatron had gone rogue at this time, although if the events of The Gathering are set in continuity with Beast Wars Neo it is likely. Magmatron had a rivalry with Big Convoy and engaged in open warfare with his Maximals. However, after Unicron was reborn Magmatron joined with the Maximals. After the Chaos-Bringer's defeat the Predacons and Maximals joined together to rebuild Cybertron.

Marvel Comics

On the planet Cybertron, some time before the departure of Optimus Prime and Megatron's crews and their subsequent four-million-year exile on Earth, the Dinobot-to-be Swoop went by the name "Divebomb," but when he was defeated in battle by an aerial Decepticon ace, the villainous victor claimed the name for his own - now, this Decepticon was Divebomb, and he eventually became a member of the Predacons. This particular piece of back story, however, would not be revealed until after the Predacons made their Marvel Comics debut, in the United Kingdom's exclusive Transformers comic, which interspliced its own unique material between reprints of the U.S. title. Here, the Predacons were summoned to Earth in 1987 and fitted with animal modes by Megatron in order to hunt Optimus Prime. Prime went against the Predacons alone (separated from the Autobots as part of a plan of his own to test their ability to function without him), using all his skill and ingenuity to survive, but as Megatron watched, the Predacons attacked him, having been ordered to do so by Megatron's rival for power, Shockwave. The Predacons then absconded, leaving Prime and Megatron to finish each other, but when Megatron transported them both to Cybertron, Shockwave dispatched the Predacons to find them. The team arrived back on Cybertron a little too late, as Megatron and Prime had returned to Earth, but an encounter with the Cybertron local Decepticon commander, Lord Straxus, had left Megatron with amnesia, unable to remember the Predacons' treachery.

The stage was set for the Predacons' appearance in the U.S. title, and appear they did, shortly after Optimus Prime perished in a virtual duel with Megatron. Megatron himself had begun to descend into paranoid insanity, and Shockwave summoned the Predacons back to Earth and had them pose as Autobots, planning to have them hunt Megatron as part of a scheme to once again seize command of the Decepticons from Megatron (the UK comic rewrote some of the dialogue in its reprint of this issue to make it appear to be the Predacons' second trip to Earth). The plan did not go smoothly, however, as Megatron defeated them all, even in their combined form of Predaking. Realizing that Shockwave was to blame, Megatron was about to kill him when he revealed that he had duplicated his mind to disc to guide the Predacons in their mission. Believing (accurately as it turned out) that this was how Optimus Prime had survived, Megatron apparently killed himself by blowing up the interdimensional spacebridge while standing on it. Shockwave was left as Decepticon commander, and the Predacons were absorbed into his Earth-based Decepticon army.

The U.K. title shone the spotlight on the Predacons again when they attacked a circus, and the news report covering it revealed to Swoop that his old foe Divebomb was now on Earth. Divebomb himself was growing disenchanted with the lack of challenges on Earth, so when Swoop ambushed him, he relished the chance to have a battle that tested him. Neither he nor Swoop, however, were particularly pleased when the other Predacons and Dinobots intruded on their private conflict, but when Grimlock almost killed Divebomb, Swoop stopped him and allowed the Predacons to go, so that when they next met, it would be on his terms.

The Predacons and Constructicons were soon dispatched to collect rocket fuel and raw materials with which the Constructicons converted the Decepticons' island base into a spaceship. Not long after, the government organization the Intelligence and Information Institute (I.I.I.) captured a group of Autobots called the Throttlebots. In response to intensive Predacons raids ordered by Shockwave, I.I.I. publicly threatened to destroy the Throttlebots as a perceived ultimatum. Not realizing that their captives were in fact enemies of the attacking robots, the I.I.I. were forced to destroy their bodies as planned. Decepticon co-commander and fuel auditor Ratbat led the Predacons on a mission to inspect the corpses. Discovering that the Throttlebots brain modules had been placed in toy cars by Triple I's sympathetic operate, Walter Barnett, the Predacons pursued them, demolishing a mall in the process.

Later, when the treacherous Decepticon Starscream manipulated Ratbat's Decepticons in fighting the forces of Scorponok, the Predacons were at the forefront of battle, with Rampage taking on Apeface while Tantrum was scrapped by Scorponok himself. But when Starscream's scheming resulted in his acquiring the cosmic power of the interstellar databank, the Underbase, the Predacons aided in the defense of Tokyo, but were among the legions of Transformers deactivated by the villain.

The Predacons remained deactivated for the remainder of the U.S. series, until it was rejuvenated as Transformers: Generation 2 a short time later. Although the Predacon toys were not re-released for the Generation 2 toyline, the characters were functional again for the comic book series - although that did not last long for some of them. Tantrum was destroyed in a head-on collision with Optimus Prime, while Razorclaw - attempting to kill Decepticon-turned-Autobot Manta Ray - was destroyed by his fellow defector, Leadfoot.

The BotCon tale Alignment, written by Simon Furman and following on from Transformers: Generation 2, would reveal the origins of the group as a splinter faction that had arisen after the death of Galvatron in battle with Optimus Prime. Seemingly even in the absence of an outright defeat this faction argued that a peace with the Autobots, then destroying them from within was the only way to win the war. Although the group was regarded as an annoyance, events beyond their control proved their way was the only way. The Liege Maximo and his second generation Transformers attacked the Decepticon homeworld, forcing a resurrected Megatron to destroy the world itself. The subsequent battle to destroy the Maximo cost them so many resources, as well as Megatron himself, that the Predacon solution became the only way that the Decepticons and their descendants could win. obtaining peace through the Pax Cybertronia, downsizing into smaller, more energy-efficient bodies and biding their time. However, this tale may not be canonical with the overall Transformers universes.

Manga

In the Transformers Manga #5 Galvatron and his Decepticons attacked the Prime Energy Tower. Galvatron ordered the Decepticons to form Menasor, Devastator and Bruticus and attack. Rodimus Prime counted this move by ordering in Superion, Omega Supreme and Defensor. Galvatron then ordered in Predaking, knowing that Sky Lynx was elsewhere and couldn't counter them. Rodimus ordered the Omnibots to attack Predaking's legs. Tripping up the giant he fell into the other Decepticon giants, winning the day for the Autobots.[8]

Dreamwave Productions

Dreamwave Productions' 21st century re-imagining of the Generation 1 universe had little time to focus on the Predacons before the company's closure. With the exception of Tantrum, who made a brief appearance as part of Shockwave's attack on Iacon, the Predacons would not make an appearance in Dreamwave's Generation One Universe until late in the series. The five team members were once warlords on Cybertron who were cast into exile in space. Settling on Planet Beest, home of the Battle Beasts, the Predacons sank into a feral state and lived as inhabitants of that world for untold years, until Megatron arrived. Having been jettisoned into space by Starscream and restored from the brink of death by Wreck-Gar, Megatron now had his sights set on reclaiming the Decepticon leadership, and required the Predacons to bolster his army. Abandoning his personal weaponry, Megatron pursued Razorclaw through the jungle and soundly defeated him. Subsequently, he re-engineered the Predacons to give them the ability to combine into Predaking.

Taking the Predacons to Cybertron, Megatron put Shockwave in his service again while the Predacons dealt with his Triple Changer minions; Razorclaw was forced to destroy the resistant Blitzwing. The group then headed to Earth to deal with Starscream, where Predaking defeated Bruticus. The players were now all assembled... but Dreamwave's bankruptcy and cessation of publication left future stories of the Predacons untold.

Additionally, the Dreamwave universe visited the notion of "Predacons" being more than simply a sub-group, but an entire faction unto itself. After Megatron and Optimus Prime vanished in a spacebridge test 7.4 million years ago, the Autobots and Decepticons splintered into several smaller factions; Starscream established a faction named the Predacons. Whether or not Starscream intended any connection with the Predacon warlords, or whether or not that group predated his faction, is unknown. They first appeared when Grimlock's Lightning Strike Coalition stole a substantial amount of Energon from them. Later, they attacked a peace conference between the Autobots, Decepticons and Ultracons, hoping to eliminate the Autobot leadership. They succeeded in eliminating most of the Autobot High Council and gravely wounded Grimlock, but were stopped when the other three factions united to stop them. After Megatron's return with an army of Seeker clones the Predacons were reabsorbed into the Decepticons.

Beast Wars

The Predacons first appeared in the animated series Beast Wars in a transwarp equipped ship known as the Darkside. Megatron (named after the original DecepticonMegatron who became Galvatron), the leader of a small group of Predacons, stole the Golden Disk from Cybertron in an attempt to travel back in time and locate pre-historicEarth so that he might acquire a large amount of energon and destroy the Autobots before the Great War began, leading to history being re-written with the Decepticons as conquerors. Megatron reveals as early as the second episode that though the Maximals and Predacons have been at peace for some time, the Predacons have merely been biding their time, waiting for right moment to begin a new war and reclaim Cybertron as their own. During a story arc called The Agenda a conversation between the members of the Tripredacus Council reveals Megatron is acting as a renegade, and though he plans ultimately what the Council intends to carry out itself, he is acting without their authority.

At first all Predacons had beast modes (usually reptiles, insects, or arachnids) which made the link to the original Predacons simply that of name and appearance (that is, both had animal alternate modes). However, as time has passed it has been seen that Predacons are actually another faction, meaning they may have vehicle, or any other number of possible modes and the link to the original Predacons may be more than simply a name but in fact that these Cybertronians are the direct descendants of this Decepticon faction, later confirmed in the comics by IDW Publishing and Fun Publications. It is implied that not all Predacons are descended from the Decepticons, as Tarantulas claims that he and the Tripredacus Council have different origins. In this series the Predacons used the activation code "Terrorize" to transform. Ravage made an appearance during the series and though reformatted into a Predacon body still maintained a loyalty to the Decepticons. Starscream also makes an appearance, his "ghost" explained as his disembodied mutant spark, capable of "possessing" other Cybertronians, in this case the Predacon Waspinator.

After the survivors of the Beast Wars returned to Cybertron, Megatron unleashed a plague on Cybertron, leaving only Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap, and Blackarachnia functioning. While the Maximals were reformatted and so took on a new insignia, Megatron, disgusted with both Maximal and Predacon alike, created a new solely technological faction known as the Vehicons. Most Vehicon transformers are actually drones rather than sentient beings. Consequently, the Predacons did not make an appearance in Beast Machines (except for Waspinator and Megatron himself), though the Tripredacus Council and Predacons not on Cybertron may have existed elsewhere. However it is most likely that they were destroyed (or captured) as well (as indicated by Beast Machines editor Bob Skir on his FAQ page). Eventually, Megatron's erstwhile captors returned to Cybertron. The Vehicons assaulted them with canisters of the virus, capturing Rhinox and Silverbolt and reverting the rest from their Transmetal forms into their original beast modes. They were then reformatted by the Oracle into the thing Megatron hated most - partially organic beast modes. The Vehicons proved unable to stand against the newly powerful Maximals, and Megatron resorted to a new strategy - imbuing three Vehicon drones with the Sparks of Silverbolt, Rhinox and Waspinator, creating Jetstorm, Tankor, and Thrust. They led the Vehicon forces against the Maximals with some success, but Megatron's insistence on using the Sparks of Rhinox and Silverbolt came back to haunt him. Tankor betrayed and tried to kill Megatron, and both were seemingly destroyed during an explosion in the Plasma Energy Chamber. After this, with Megatron's control severed, the Vehicons simply shut down.

Megatron's return would mean a fresh campaign against the Maximals. During this time, Blackarachnia managed to turn Jetstorm back into Silverbolt, leaving Thrust's forces to be repeatedly overwhelmed. Megatron accordingly created two new generals - Obsidian and Strika, two of the greatest Cybertronian generals who ever lived. They quickly turned the tide against the Maximals with their tactical and strategic brilliance. However Megatron's fortess was soon destroyed once more, and the Vehicons again shut down. Megatron had in fact survived in the body of his Diagnostic Drone, and had his factories produce masses of new Vehicons for a final assault. In the final battle, all three Vehicon generals fell, the factories were destroyed and Megatron was finally destroyed in battle with his foe Optimus Primal. This last act reformatted Cybertron into a technorganic paradise, with the Vehicons being turned into the new bodies of the populace, their Sparks now free from Megatron's control.

Devil's Due Publishing

The Predacons would return in the third Devil's Due Publishing crossover between G.I. Joe and the Transformers. Without Megatron or Shockwave's steadying influence, the Decepticons had fallen apart in a series of internecine conflicts. One such was the Predacons taking on the Seacons. Hunting Nautilator, the Predacons were unable to prevent him calling for backup - Piranacon. The Predacons merged into Predaking and defeated their foe. Preparing to finish him off, Predaking was interrupted by a strange, tiny figure: Serpentor, a human military cyborg built with Megatron's memories. Using these memories to convince both combiners to join him, they then participated (along with the Stunticons) in the ambush that killed Bumblebee. They were then Serpentor's principal weapon, along with Piranacon and Menasor, in the attack on Capital City, where the three of them defeated Omega Supreme. They were among the Decepticon reinforcements that countered the G.I. Joe/Autobot jailbreak. Rampage was taken out by Grimlock. Razorclaw and Motormaster were the ones who stopped Prime's attack on Serpentor, beating him to near death. They were then slain by the Cobra Commander-controlled Serpentor.

IDW Publishing

The Predacons made their first chronological appearance in issue #3 of The Transformers: Megatron Origin, where all five were seen as part of Megatron's group of gladiators and insurgents that would eventually become the Decepticons. A conversation between Razorclaw and Grimlock would reveal a rivalry between the future Predacons and the Dinobots.

They would receive a brief namecheck in The Transformers: Spotlight issue on Shockwave. When attacked by the Dynobots, Shockwave was surprised that it was they, and not Megatron or the Predacons, that had come. Shockwave listed them as one of Megatron's "tactical assault units."

The Predacons themselves appeared in The Transformers: Stormbringer, alerting Megatron on Earth to the reemergence of Thunderwing. Ordered by him to destroy Cybertron (and Thunderwing with it) if all else failed, the Predacons observed a futile effort by the Wreckers to hold Thunderwing back. Impressed by their bravery, Razorclaw sent two Decepticon teams to assist the beleaguered Wreckers. After Thunderwing was finally stopped by Optimus Prime, Razorclaw aborted the firing procedure to destroy Cybertron. Here, Divebomb was shown to transform into a Cybertronian jet, while Headstrong transformed into a treaded assault vehicle.

In IDW Publishing's Beast Wars: The Gathering miniseries, it was revealed that many Predacons other than Megatron were dissatisfied with the slow wait for victory plotted by the council. One of these, the Predacon general Magmatron, managed to recruit a group of followers supporting his ideals. He led them to prehistoric Earth, ostensibly to apprehend Megatron, but mainly to reprogram Maximal protoforms as Predacons to create an army. It is revealed in the series that the Tripredacus Council have minimal influence on Cybertron, with the Maximal Council of Elders the leading body on the Transformers' home planet. Though Predacon representatives exist in a joint council, the Predacons have little political power, and Predacons are treated as second-class citizens, many not choosing to live on Cybertron. It is also hinted, through symbols seen in Magmatron's time-travel chamber, that the original Predacons were involved in the formation of the Beast Wars era Predacons.

Robots in Disguise (2001)

Set in a Transformers universe unique to this series, the Predacons were organiform transformers led by Megatron and used "terrorize" as their activation code. Megatron led them to Earth in search of the Autobot battle station, Fortress Maximus. They stole energy from Earth's natural resources and battled a team of Autobots led by Optimus Prime. Megatron kept his true goal hidden from his followers while he searched for Fortress Maximus.[9] Unlike their Beast Wars counterparts, but somewhat like their counterparts from the original series in the 80s, these Preadacons were normal-sized Transformers who turned into mechanical animals, as opposed to the small "technorganic" forms like the Beast Wars Transformers. No explanation for use of animal based alternate modes is given in the show. Additionally, in divergence with their previous incarnations, the Predacons here predate the Decepticons as the enemy faction of the Autobots, with the Decepticons eventually being introduced into the series as a Predacon subgroup rather than independent faction. At the series' conclusion, the Predacons and Decepticons, except Sky-Byte, were captured and returned to Cybertron for trial and imprisonment. According to Hasbro's official "Ask Vector Prime" page on Facebook, Sky-Byte remained on Earth and ceased being an enemy to the Autobots, instead devoting his time to attacking illegal fishing vessels.

Unicron Trilogy

2003's Transformers: Armada introduced a first for the Predacon name—it was used not for a group, but for a single character. When Predacon and his Mini-Cons were released their characters were somewhat of a mystery. No tech spec or biography was given in the box or on the official Transformers web site. With no biography offered for the character on his packaging or on the company website, it was not until Dreamwave Productions created one that Predacon had any characterisation. Dreamwave's profile for the character presented him as an unpopular member of the Decepticons due to his unnatural philosophy of blending synthetic organic tissue with Transformer bodies - with himself as a living example. Most Autobots and Decepticons view him as either a fanatic or a lunatic. Despite this he has some followers due to his charismatic oratory and leadership in battle, and attempts to convince more to join him through his rhetoric. The Dreamwave bio would attempt to give him a hint of mystery by noting that not even his most devoted followers knew his true motives and nature, but the comics would never touch on this. The characters only appearance in fiction was in a flashback in Dreamwave's Armada sequel comic, Transformers: Energon, where Predacon was among the troops led into battle against the Autobots by Scorponok. He was seen working with ArmadaTerrorsaur, who also had a beast mode, so it is possible Terrorsaur was one of Predacon's followers. Any possible other appearances were cancelled due to Dreamwave's bankruptcy and Hasbro's Transformers print license being transferred to IDW Publishing.

Its sequel, Transformers: Cybertron, would also feature a race of Beastial Transformers called the Predacons (as per Bot Shots Game) who are shown to be the inhabitants of Jungle Planet. Known inhabitants include Backstop, Brimstone, Repugnus, Shrapnel, Scourge, Snarl, Undermine, and Wreckloose as well as generic Transformers that resemble different animals such as an Apatosaurus, an owl, a lobster, a deer, a giraffe, and a tropical bird.

Fun Publications

The 2006 BotCon comic "Dawn of Future's Past" would confirm what The Gathering had implied - that the original Predacons had a hand in the creation of the new faction. Apparently unhappy with the direction the Council was taking, Divebomb was responsible for reformatting Ravage, Laserbeak, and Buzzsaw into new Predacon forms, although Ravage later left. Seeing an opportunity to rewrite history when Megatron's plans became apparent, Divebomb dispatched the two former cassettes to covertly assist him, ensuring they departed to Earth, Later, Divebomb reported to his true master - Razorclaw, who announced that it was time to take back Cybertron from the Maximals. Razorclaw's bio indicated that he was thought to have been killed by the Tripredacus Council due to his interference in their ambitions for Cybertron.

The Shattered Glass continuity in a reality where Autobots are evil and Decepticons are good, has its own Predacons, again a subgroup of the Decepticons. The Predacons were founded by former professor Razorclaw, as an elite team of hunters, who stalked the evil Autobots. They would adopt the group name "Predacons" by the time they were inducted into the Decepticon army, using beast forms based on numerous alien transmissions watched by the Predacon Rampage. Known members include Razorclaw (leader), Rampage, and Divebomb. Predaking was later introduced but this version of him is an individual Predacon that turns into a dragon rather than a combiner, possibly a reference to Prime Predaking.

In the 2008 April Fool's Day comic "Shattered Expectations", Razorclaw (and possibly others) were victims of a shrink ray. That did not stop Razorclaw and Starscream from attacking Grimlock, Jazz, and Goldbug, eventually summoning the Mayhem Suppression Squad to celebrate April Fools' Day finish them off. In "Shattered Glass", Razorclaw appears to be a key member of Megatron's inner circle. When the Decepticons attacked the Ark, the Predacons Razorclaw and Rampage would take down the guards while Divebomb accompanied Starscream and Whisper in bombing the fuel tanks. All three Predacons would later keep Grimlock at bay. The Predacons were fairly small in beast mode, but average height in robot mode. In "Shattered Destiny", it is shown that the Predacons later became a faction of their own, led by another heroic Megatron, starting their universe's version of the Beast Era.

The 2016 story "Dawn of the Predacus" saw Predaking as part of a unit commanded by Beast Wars Megatron, who ordered them to attack following the deaths of Optimus Prime and Galvatron. After a fierce battle with a unit commanded by Tigatron, Predaking was attacked by the Tripredacus Council, who with two of their minions formed Predacus and slew Predaking in order to pave the way for "peace"-a peace they intended to use to their advantage by preparing for total domination of Cybertron.

Transformers Animated

Though not referred to by name, the Predacons appear in the Transformers Animated episode "Predacons Rising". In this incarnation, the Predacons (primarily consisting Elita One/Blackarachnia and Wasp/Waspinator) are a small faction of evil transformers who are technorganic and transform into animals (mainly insects). Blackarachnia has the Dinobots kidnap Wasp, whom she transforms into "Waspinator" resulting in a short-lived alliance. The Predacons would've become a bigger faction in season 4 if it were produced (according to the All-Spark Almaniac), but the series was cancelled and replaced with Transformers: Prime.

Transformers: Prime

Transformers: The Covenant of Primus establishes the Predacons as one of the earliest Cybertronian races, undoubtedly inspired by Onyx Prime who preceded them as the original Beast Mode Transformer. The original Predaking led this group and preyed on weaker Cybertronians, but agreed to respect the humanoid variety after being defeated in battle by Prima. Subsequently, the Great Cataclysm hit Cybertron, and the Predacons were apparently annihilated, leaving behind only fossilized remains.

As shown in the prequel-comics published IDW Publishing, Shockwave first learned how to clone the Predacons with one of them being Backbite (who shares the same body type as Skystalker) who was used by Shockwave's disciples called the Forged (a group of Decepticons that formed their own faction). Also, it is shown that many Decepticons had volunteered to have Predacon CNA spliced with their own, a process that turns regular Cybertronains into Predacons. Later seen in the Tales of the Beast Hunters comics (which depicts alternate events of the TV series), Predaking is the first Predacon that was cloned. Predaking went rogue after Lazerback's activation. Afterwards, Predaking led the other activated Predacons Ripclaw, Skystalker, and Grimwing into assisting him. When Starscream and Knock Out fled to Cybertron with two deactivated Predacons, they end up awakening Vertebreak (who shares the same body type as Lazerbeak) upon arrival.

The Predacons appear in the 3rd season of Transformers: Prime, entitled Beast Hunters. The Predacons resemble Cybertronian dragons and were the basis of human folklore. They became extinct long before the Transformers race began. In the present day, Predacons have been bred in Shockwave's laboratory and cloned from fossilized remains. The first of these Predacons was Predaking. As mentioned by Starscream in "Prey", Predacons are ancient cybertronian life-forms that became extinct long before Cybertronian history began. Shockwave reveals to both Megatron and Starscream that he has resurrected the Predacon (Predaking himself) through cloning from fossilized remains and grew him within his laboratory on Cybertron. Later in the episode, Predaking attacks Bulkhead, Miko and Wheeljack, who manage to escape due to the intervention of Arcee, Jack, and Ultra Magnus in their starship. Predaking pursues them, but is outmaneuvered by Ultra Magnus and injured. Upon returning to Megatron and Starscream, the latter expresses disappointment in Predaking, calling him mindless due to his inability to speak. Predaking however, able to understand Starscream, bears a grudge against the Deception commander afterwards.

In "Rebellion", Predaking is unleashed on the Autobots attacking Darkmount, but ends up getting sent through a Ground Bridge to the Arctic, where it freezes.

In "Project Predacon", it was revealed that Shockwave once used his previous clones of Predacons to Earth back in ancient times to destroy Autobot forces stationed there, and held vigil on earth while awaiting Megatron's arrival until they died off. It is also revealed by the Autobots and their human allies that the Predacons spawned the myths and legends of dragons when they were encountered by humans. Optimus Prime discovers that the Decepticons are looking for fossil samples of the Predacons that were stationed on earth so that Shockwave can rebuild his Predacon army. Shockwave reveals the Predacons are microchipped to ensure the fossils are easy for them to track. With help from Soundwave, Shockwave was able to obtain part of a Predacon fossil for Megatron, who states that he heard of his encounter with the Autobots and expresses his concern of losing his best scientist in battle. Upon hearing this, Shockwave vows to him that he will leave further fossil-fetching missions to Starscream and the Vehicons so that he can remain in his lab to accelerate Project Predacon.

In "Chain of Command", Predaking frees itself from the ice it was entrapped in and returns to the Nemesis. Megatron then has Starscream take command of Predaking. Starscream tries to get Predating to obey his commands and go into its kennel and ends up nearly burned due to his previous insults toward Predaking. Starscream also tries to use the Apex Armor to get Predaking back into the ship, but fails as Predaking thrashes him around and humiliates him. Starscream is then ordered by Megatron to lead Predaking to one of the Decepticon excavation sites in Scotland when the Vehicons there haven't reported back. Predaking then discovers and attacks Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ultra Magnus at the excavation site. While Miko climbs to safety, Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack fight Predaking until an attempt by Wheeljack to bomb it goes horribly awry. Predaking frees himself from the rubble and finds a spherical Predacon bone fragment, which it brings to Starscream after experiencing a suppressed memory. Megatron then orders Starscream into having Predaking bring him the Predacon fossil while Starscream deals with the Autobots. Predaking then leaves to deliver the Predacon fossil to Megatron.

In "Plus One", Knock Out captures Agent Fowler and June Darby when they obtain a Predacon talon fossil at a museum. Due to Predaking having damaged the communication system in retaliation for Starscream's trying to order him about, Knock Out was unable to get through to Megatron on getting a Ground Bridge for him. The Predacon talon sample ends up on the car of a train causing Knock Out to drag Agent Fowler and June along. When Knock Out informs Megatron of this and the fact that Arcee and Wheeljack are after him, Megatron sends the Insecticons to help Knock Out claim the Predacon talon fossil. With the help of a Ground Bridge, Knock Out gets away with the Predacon talon fossil and hands it to Megatron. Starscream further complains of Predaking's stubbornness and stupidity, but unbeknownst to the Decepticons, Predaking is then seen accessing some information from the ship's computer on the deck of the ship, revealing his intelligence is evolving.

In "Thirst", Megatron contacts Shockwave to speed up the process of Project Predacon following the Terrorcon incident caused by Starscream and Knock Out's formula (which consisted of Synthetic Energon and Dark Energon) which cost Megatron half his Vehicon troops. During the incident, Knockout also suggests using Predaking to hunt down the Terrorcons, but Starscream rules it out, saying that if Predaking were to be infected, nothing would be able to stop him.

In "Evolution", Shockwave tells Megatron that the Predacons are nearly combat-ready as they are seen in the Predacon tubes. Predaking then reveals his newfound sentience and ability to transform, and petitions Megatron to allow him to lead the Predacons. While meeting with the other Decepticons, Megatron fears that Predaking will have the Predacons eradicate the Decepticons and plans to eradicate them first. Starscream suggests to Megatron for the plan to involve pulling the plug on the other Predacon clones and blaming the Autobots for it. When the Wreckers enter Shockwave's makeshift lab, they set off a bomb to blow up the laboratory. The destruction of the Predacon specimens causes Predaking to retaliate and attack Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack, defeating them in battle and costing Ultra Magnus his right hand. Predaking later visits Megatron who tells him that the Autobots will pay for what they did to the Predacons. Meanwhile, Shockwave found a strange Cyberform structure following the explosion, created from the genetic material of the Predacons and synthetic energon.

In "Minus One", Predaking states to Megatron that he should resurrect the Predacons from the fossils on Cybertron for the ones that were destroyed were a squadron. Predaking himself is later tasked to assist Shockwave with the re-construction of the Omega Lock by fighting Optimus Prime.

In "Persuasion", Predaking continues to fight Optimus but is forced to abandon him to help Shockwave pinned down by Ultra Magnus and retrieve the component which they seek for the Omega Lock. When Ratchet is captured by the Decepticons to assist for their project Predaking wants to destroy him but Megatron tells him of Ratchet's importance in the restoration of Cybertron (because of his synthetic energon formula) and promises that Predaking will have him afterward.

In "Synthesis", Megatron, being true to his word, hands Ratchet over to Predaking who tosses Ratchet all over the top of the ship but stops when Ratchet reveals the truth about the destruction of the Predacons. Predaking listens as Ratchet explains that Megatron fears Predaking and his kind and ordered them destroyed which enrages Predaking to go on a rampage through the ship, killing many Vehicons before taking Megatron head on and almost kills him, but a cheap shot from Starscream allows Megatron to blow Predaking out of the airlock and Predaking is hurled out of the ship and assumed dead.

In "Deadlock" however, Predaking is revealed to have survived by holding on to the ship. Once the Nemesis, now controlled by the Autobots, arrives on a reborn Cybertron, Predaking finally lets go and flies off into the distance.

In Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising (which closed out the series), the Predacons Darksteel and Skylynx are discovered by Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen during their patrol in search of Shockwave's laboratory. In a brutal and largely one-sided battle, they overpower the two Autobots and badly wound Ultra Magnus. After the Autobots escape, they return to Shockwave's laboratory where it is revealed that Shockwave and Starscream cloned them as he cloned Predaking, and another clone is seen being grown. After this, Bumblebee seeks out Predaking hoping to find answers only to find that Predaking is just as astonished by the encounter as the Autobots were. After they leave, Predaking leaves his refuge in the Predacon burial ground to seek out Darksteel and Skylynx only to encounter Unicron who possesses Megatron's body. Predaking engages Unicron in battle, and though initially he gains the upper hand, Unicron proves he is the stronger of the two combatants and defeats him. Unicron then reads Predaking's mind and then heads for the Predacon burial ground, where he faces off against Darksteel and Skylynx, defeating them and raising the Predacons from the dead as Terrorcons. When Predaking returns, he finds the burial ground desecrated and also encounters DarkSteel and Skylynx for the first time and tries to rally them against Unicron, only for them to challenge him. Predaking engages them both in battle and easily defeats them, thus securing his place as their king. Shockwave then suggests that they fight to stop Unicron, and they join the Autobots in fighting the undead army at the Well of Allsparks. Predaking then leads Darksteel and Skylynx to lead the defense of the Well, and though they hold them back they are unable to keep the Terrorcons from entering Cybertron's core and are dragged along as they fight the undead hordes. When Optimus Prime traps Unicron, the Terrorcons die and the trio return to the surface. Predaking then leads his warriors to Darkmount (Megatron's military base on Cybertron) where they confront Starscream with the intent on "settling old scores". Starscream's fate at Predaking's hand remained ambiguous.

It was later revealed in the sixth issue of IDW comics for Transformers: Prime's stand-alone sequel series, Transformers: Robots in Disguise that Predaking and his fellow Predacons beat and injured Starscream as Predaking was shown to have returned to settle on Earth with one of Starscream's arms as his trophy. In the episode "Mini-Con Madness," it was revealed that Starscream survived the attack from Predaking, Darksteel, and Skylynx where his lair's defenses did away with Darksteel and Skylynx.

The Japanese animated series and toyline, Transformers: Go!, features the Predacons as a faction of evil Transformers who have lived on Earth for centuries. In ancient times, their leader Dragotron was defeated and imprisoned, and his minions set out to free him using the power of the Legend Discs. However, these artifacts drew the attention of several Autobots who came to Earth to challenge them.